لاحَتْ فقُلنا كوكبُ الصُبحِ بان

قالتْ نَعَمْ لكنْ على غُصنِ بانْ

The morning planet dawned, and we said:

"Yes, but on the branch of the acacia."

جميلةُ الطَلْعةِ وَضَّاحَةٌ

صارت بها السَبْعُ الدَرارِي ثَمانْ

Beautiful is its rising and bright,

With it, the seven sparkling stars became eight.

هَيفاءُ في وَجنْتِها وَردةٌ

يا مَنْ رأى الوَردَ على الخَيْزُرانْ

Delicate in its cheeks a rose,

O you who saw the flowers on the oleander.

قد تَلِفَتْ في يَدِها مُهجتي

عَمْداً ولم يَثْبُتْ عليها الضَّمانْ

My love may be lost in her hands,

Intentionally, and the guarantee would not hold against her.

ما بينَ عَينَيها وأكبادِنا

داهيةٌ بِكرٌ وحَرْبٌ عَوانْ

Between her eyes and our livers,

An innocent, virgin war.

إذا شَكونا ما لَقينا بها

تَقولُ قد قُدِّرَ هذا فكانْ

When we complain of what we faced because of her,

She says: "This was destined to happen."

في خَدِّها نارُ المَجُوسِ التي

قامَ لَدَيها الخالُ كالمُوبَذانْ

In her cheek is the Magi's fire,

Before which the mole stands like an outcast.

أو نارُ إبراهيمَ مشبوبةً

في مُهَج الحُسَّادِ ذاتِ الدُخانْ

Or the fire of Abraham, burning

In the passion of the jealous and smoky.

هذا خليلُ اللهِ والناسِ في الدْ

دِينِ وفي الدُّنيا فنِعْمَ القِرانْ

This is God's friend of religion and life,

And a blessed companion.

أشَمُّ ماضي العَزمِ ماضي اليَدِ ال

بَيضاءِ ماضي الرأْي ماضي اللِّسانْ

I smell the resolve of the past, the resolve of the hand,

The white, the resolve of opinion, the resolve of the tongue.

الشَّاعرُ الواري الزِنادِ الذي

تَحكي قوافيهِ عُقودَ الجُمانْ

The endowed poet Al-Warid Al-Zinad,

Whose rhymes narrate the beads' threads.

يَصدَعُ من أقلامِهِ عاملٌ

للحَقِّ فيهِ الهُدَى تَرْجُمانْ

A worker emerges from his pens

To guide the truth, a translator.

يَستَبِقُ المَعَنى إلى قلبهِ

واللفظُ كالفُرْسانِ يومَ الرِّهانْ

Meaning outruns to his heart,

While words are like racers on the day of the bet.

في كلِّ فَنٍّ من بَلاغاتهِ

يَجلُو بَيانُ السِّحرِ سِحرَ البَيانْ

In every art of his rhetoric,

Eloquence clears the sorcery of sorcerous eloquence.

مُهذَّبُ الأخلاقِ مَيمونُها

رَيَّانُ طَلْقُ الوجهِ طَلْقُ البَنانْ

Of refined morals and auspiciousness,

A loose-faced radiance and flexibility.

ثَناؤهُ لم يَخلُ منهُ فَمٌ

وذِكرُهُ لم يَخلُ منهُ مَكانْ

His praise did not lack a mouth,

And his mention did not lack a place.

رَقَّت معانيهِ ودَقّت كما

رَقَّت نُسَيماتُ الصَّبا في الجِنانْ

His meanings softened and thinned, like

The breezes of morning blew gently in the gardens.

يُنسِي جَريراً نَظمُ أبياتِهِ

ونثرهُ يُنسِي بديعَ الزَّمانْ

The rhythm of his verses makes one forget

Jarir, and his prose makes one forget Badi` al-Zaman.

رَبُّ القوافي المُطرِباتِ التي

سُكري بها لا بِسُلاف الدِّنانْ

Lord of the thrilling, intoxicating rhymes,

Which intoxicate me, not the wine of vines.

تُقيِّدُ القلبَ بأسبابِها

إذا التَقاها الطَرْفُ طَلْقَ العِنانْ

That captures the heart with its reasons,

When the gaze freely meets it.

ورُبَّ حَسناءِ المُحيَّا انْجَلتْ

مِثلَ اللآلي في نُحورِ الحِسانْ

And many a beautiful inspirer flashed

Like the cresent moons in the bosoms of the lovely.

ألبَسَها ثَوبَ سَوادٍ به

تاهَتْ فعافَتْ حُلَّةَ الأُرْجُوانْ

She wore a black garment in which

She got lost and gave up the purple dress.

يا أُنسَ يومٍ قد أتَتْني ضُحىً

أشَهى من النَيرُوزِ والمِهْرَجانْ

O companion of a day that came to me at dawn

Sweeter than Nayrouz and festivals.

وَهبْتُها عَيني وأُذْني فلم

تَرضَ لها إلاّ صَميمَ الجَنَانْ

I gave her my eyes and ears but she would not be satisfied

Except with the innermost soul.

يا خيرَ من صامَ وصَلَّى ومَن

قامَ خطيباً وارتَدَى الطَيلْسانْ

O best of those who fasted, prayed,

And stood as a preacher wearing a turban.

إليكَ عَذراءَ سَعَتْ نَحوَكُمْ

بِقَدَمِ الصَبِّ وقلبِ الجَبانْ

To you, chaste one, my steps strode

With the vigor of youth and the heart of the timid.

خافتْ منَ الذَّنبِ بتَقصيرها

فأقبَلَتْ تَطلُبُ منكَ الأمانْ

She feared sinning by her shortcoming,

So she came to you seeking safety.